How To Be A Heartbreaker
by ILOVETOOMANYSHIPS4JUST1OTP
Summary: After their breakup, Alec isn't dealing with things very well. With Clary's help he 'takes a break' in the mundane world to get over the warlock. Things are changing though; not just Alec but the worlds around him. Can he get over the warlock? Or will life continue to screw him over? WARNINGS FOR SELF HARM IN THE FIRST CHAPTER!


**Hi guys!**

**Sorry about the bad title. Couldn't think of a good title at the time and I was thinking about Magnus breaking Alec's heart and how I might progress the story. Plus I do admit I did listen to the song recently. Might change it. Might not.**

**I wrote this before the release of the last book it's slightly AU, well very AU in places but I will try to weave it and the book together as it goes on in some way, but no promises. **

**Basically Alec (with Clary's help) goes to the mundane world to try and help him get some distance so he can try to get over Magnus. There will be some OCs obviously but I'll try to limit the number of them or/and their presence because I know a lot of people don't like them. **

**This is my first TMI fanfic. I'll try to update regularly but exams are approaching so can't promise fully I'm afraid. **

**All mistakes are my own, if any are spotted, just let me know so I can change them. I don't own TMI or anything associated with it. **

**Enjoy. Please R&amp;R.**

Chapter 1 - Escape

Alec ignored his sister's knocking for the second time that day. He didn't want to talk to anyone. Didn't any of them understand he wanted to be alone?

"Alec open the door… please." However the heartbroken teen made no effort to respond or move at all.

This was the same it had been for almost a week since Magnus had broken it off with him and his was stuff back at the institute. Eventually his sister gave up – again – before walking away from the door, defeated. So far no one who had visited him had achieved a willing response and no amount of threats, pleas or bribes had worked.

Alec ran a hand through his hair through his hair and forced himself off the bed, trailing into the ensuite bathroom. He looked a mess. Puffy red eyes, old and new tear tracks, pale skin…

He picked up the razor blade, still stained with his blood from the previous day and ran it under the warm water to wash the blood off. Once satisfied, he pulled his sleeve up and grimaced slightly as the steel seared through his clammy skin but exhaled in relief when a trickle of red escaped the wound. He did it again. And again.

He admired the neat but bloodied cuts on his wrist and studied the predeceasing scabbed cuts. There were eight in total on that wrist and six on the other.

Content he went back into his bedroom and slumped into his chair, intently watching the thin trails sipping down and dropping onto the fabrics.

KNOCK KNOCK

He froze for an instant but relaxed guessing the person wouldn't come in if he didn't answer.

"Alec," a voice, Clary's, softly spoke through the door. "I know you want to be left alone and not to be bothered… most of all by me but I know what you're doing. Please open the door. I won't say anything."

Only because curiosity got the better of him did he open the door, ignoring the blood dripping across the floorboards, opening the door to see a sadly smiling Clary.

He indicated for her to come in after checking she was alone. "How did you know?"

They both looked to his wrist and she smiled sadly again.

"I guessed you might because… because I did the same when I thought I'd lost Jace. Poor Simon had to hit his head against the wall and run away twice because he'd caught me at the wrong time. Though I got rid of the marks with one of my 'magical' runes. I never told anyone except for Simon and that wasn't choice."

Alec's jaw dropped. He never expected Clary to say something like that and he probably wouldn't have believed her if it wasn't for the honesty in her eyes.

"I…"

"It's okay; you don't have to say anything. Thank you letting me in." He nodded and she took her scarf off, tying it around his wrist after wiping the worst of the blood.

"You hear to convince me I'm being silly and to leave my room to re-join you all?"

"Yes to leaving your room but no to the other two things." Alec raised his eyebrows in surprise and confusion. "Unlike Jace and Izzy, I think you are handling this well but you can't stay here in-"

"I'm not going to see the others downstairs."

Clary chuckled once. "I wasn't going to suggest it. I was going to say you can't stay here. In the institute. It's killing you and going back there won't help either. I was going to say take a few weeks and take a refuge from all this." She indicated to the entire area. "Leave all this behind for a while and go live, act like a mundane. Do something that is completely nothing to do with your normal life. You know like a holiday or retreat, give yourself some freedom from everything so you're not crowded and when you're ready ease yourself back in. Because despite their best efforts, I know Izzy and Jace aren't helping you and I imagine neither are your parents or the Clave."

Alec considered what Clary was saying, disbelieving that the redhead he once hated was actually the most tolerable person to be around right now. After a minute he nodded.

"Okay… but how do I, what do I need to do?"

Clary laughed. "You don't need to do anything, just let go. Right, you pack the stuff you'd take with you if you were going to stay in the Shadow World some clothes – mundane like and not your shadowhunter gear, toiletries… take a weapon for protection and not hunting in case you run into trouble… and your stele, but you aren't to use either unless absolutely necessary. I'll deal with the others and I'll get you a supply of mundane money. You pack now and I'll come back in a few hours with the extra things."

She looked at his body for a minute and hummed. "Okay. I'll also come up with a rune so that when they see you no one can see your runes or scars. Don't worry, you'll still have them but they'll be invisible to everyone except you… and those you who want to see. Alright?"

Alec nodded to Clary who walked towards the door, pausing before she left. "And don't pack that razor."

With a smile she closed the door leaving Alec the most optimistic and happy he'd been in days.

He grabbed the bag he used to use for Magnus's but stopped when he grabbed it and dropped it back onto the floor, he opted for a black large backpack instead, the kind that mundanes used when they were camping.

Knowing he had a few hours he selected things carefully. He picked a pair of black trainers and boots followed by his toothbrush and co, placing them into a zip bag after remembering the hissy fits Magnus had thrown in the past when something had leaked in a bag and gotten onto the other contents. Carefully he took a few photos out of their frames; he took one of his parents, a photo of him with his siblings taken when he was fourteen and a recent one with everyone in, including Magnus, which was done just after Valentine had died when they thought they were all safe. He almost took the one of him and Magnus kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower but instead threw the frame across the room. Picking up the mundane book Clary had lent him – Harry Potter – he slipped the photos between the cover and first page.

Looking through his wardrobe he considered what Clary said. In the end he grabbed a pair of black and two blue jeans opting for his brown leather belt to go with them. Fashion sense be damned if Izzy or _he_ ever saw. He chose two of his favourite jumpers and two long sleeved tops and two short ones, all plain. Carefully he packed them to allow for maximum space, along with his underwear and a small, light towel and a sufficient sized blanket to cover him if he needed as well as his seraph blade and stele.

Satisfied with his packing, he quickly wrote a letter, well three but he crumpled the first two, to his family basically saying what Clary had said to him. Once that was done he quickly showered and cleaned himself up and when done put a set of sensible fresh clothes on and waited for Clary.

Around an hour later a knock came to his door.

"It's Clary." He strode across the room and opened it to her, letting her in. "Okay so these are your mundane IDs, lucky we had these made in case, and this is a list of good enough but cheap rooms to stay in along with some places I reckon are fair priced if you stay around the city. In this envelope is a couple of hundred dollars in various bills. Be careful with this, you can't lose it or you're screwed. I got you some sandwiches and that for tonight."

Alec laughed. "You make it sound like I'm never coming back Clary."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Of course you are. Oh and this is your phone, it was my phone just before this one. It's password protected, to unlock it you need to type in 6574. My number is keyed in; I want a text every so often. I know you're meant to be on 'holiday' but just so I know you're alive and Izzy doesn't kill me. In case I also put Izzy's, Simon's and Jace's number if anything happens. Now hold out your arm."

He complied and she drew a small loopy pentagram shape on his forearm. When she was done he looked to his mirror, unimpressed that he could still see them.

"Clary, I can still see them all."

"Well of course Alec, I did say you could but don't worry, it has worked because I can't see them."

Alec looked surprised. "Oh… okay. How can I make you see them?"

Clary thought for a moment. "Oh, erm, just trace your fingers over the rune the same way I drew it and think of me."

He didn't look believing but did it anyway. "Now I can see them, great, it worked."

She handed him the extra supplies and he put them at the top of his bag, picking the sealed letter on the way back handing it to Clary. She looked at it and saw it was marked _my brother and sister_.

"I would have added you Clary but I don't need to explain to you because you already understand. Could you give them this for me, they'll be mad but I hope if they don't accept it you… you would explain it to them how you explained it to me." Clary nodded, twiddling the letter between her fingers. "Are they busy, so I can slip out?"

"I had a better idea."

She then drew a rune on her palm and held it up telling him to stay back in case it went wrong. From a palm a mist hazed before what was essential a portal appeared.

"It should send you to central park, it's easy enough to pick where to go from there." Clary smiled at him and suddenly Alec did something very unlike himself. He engulfed her in a hug wrapping his arms tightly around her frame.

"Thank you Clary, thank you so much." As best as she could without lowering her palm she returned the hug and a minute later they pulled apart as he picked up his bag moving to the portal but paused as she had done before. "You know, I used to think you should have counted yourself lucky to have had Jace but now I see it's the other way round."

She grinned and for the first time in a week so did he at the biggest step in their relationship.

"Go on, have fun… Alec, I think Magnus was a fool to give you up." Alec smiled sadly as did she and he stepped through the portal.

Alec opened his eyes. Clary was right. He'd ended right where she'd hoped.

"Whoa!" He spun around and behind him stood a shocked year old with ice cream smeared all around his face staring at him. "You just- but that's- you just… WOW! Mum! Mum! Come here! You have to see this!"

Alec began to sprint away from the scene and after a couple of minutes he slumped onto the ground wondering what to do next.


End file.
